Nigeria, China Move To Strengthen Joint Preparedness For Future Pandemics

Nigeria and China have renewed their commitment to deepen cooperation on pandemic preparedness amid fresh warnings that the world faces an increasing risk of emerging infectious diseases.

Speaking yesterday at a Public Health Symposium on “Lessons on Pandemic Preparedness and Response: Insights from China and Nigeria”, in Abuja, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said recent scientific findings underscore how vulnerable Nigeria and other developing nations remain to viral spillovers.

Pate disclosed that researchers from the University of Sussex had recently detected antibodies to influenza viruses, Nipah virus, Ebola and multiple coronaviruses in fruit bats collected near a major state capital in North-Central Nigeria.

“That brought home the risk that we constantly face. Stressing the interconnectedness of the environment, livestock, agriculture and human health,” he said.

He warned that pandemics do not emerge suddenly but evolve from small, often undetected outbreaks making early detection, surveillance, and preparedness indispensable.

“Pandemics are not only public health issues. They are matters of economic and national security,” he said, citing the global GDP contraction of 5.5 per cent and the $15 trillion loss linked to COVID-19 disruptions.

Pate said Nigeria must sustain long-term investments in resilient health systems, diagnostics, research, and local manufacturing of medical supplies, including test kits, PPEs and vaccines.

“If we start investing when an outbreak begins, it’s already too late,” he said.

He noted progress made since 2020, including the establishment of the National Institute of Public Health and Infectious Diseases in Zaria, the expansion of primary healthcare, and strengthened coordination through the One Health Steering Committee.

He also highlighted the importance of community trust, countering misinformation, and protecting frontline health workers, adding that nearly 79,000 health workers had been retrained in recent years.

The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Yu Dunhai, also stressed that infectious disease threats remain “complex and severe,” with rising risks of virus mutation and cross-border transmission.

He noted that many developing countries continue to struggle with access to vaccines, medicines and critical supplies, warning that the global public health assistance system is shrinking.

Against this backdrop, he said China places high priority on deepening public health cooperation with Nigeria under the elevated China–Nigeria Comprehensive Strategic Partnership endorsed during President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to China in 2024.

“Strengthening practical cooperation in public health between China and Nigeria carries both immediate and long-term significance,” he said, adding that China remains committed to South-South cooperation and collaboration through multilateral platforms, including the WHO.

Also speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, said the symposium offers a valuable platform for both countries to share experiences from COVID-19 which claimed over seven million lives globally.

He noted that while Nigeria faced significant challenges, it managed to “fare reasonably well” due to coordinated national efforts, strong leadership, partner support and local innovations.

China, he added, was globally acknowledged for its rapid response, technology-driven systems and disciplined implementation.

Salako warned that experts predict the next pandemic could emerge within five to eight years of COVID-19, adding that the world cannot afford another poorly coordinated response.

In the past decade alone, Nigeria has faced outbreaks of Ebola, Monkeypox, Lassa Fever, Measles and Cholera.

“To prevent future public health emergencies, our surveillance and preparedness systems must remain continuous and robust,” he added.